Splicer thimble for rope

ABSTRACT

A thimble apparatus for use with a rope has a thimble eye formed as a generally U-shaped shackle defining a center aperture therein with arms on opposing sides of the aperture. The thimble eye has an outer surface, a front face, and a rear face. A groove is formed within the front face of the shackle generally in the shape of a U and has a width. A rope seat is formed within the shackle beneath the groove proximal to the rear face and has a diameter larger than the width of the groove. The groove forms a passage to the rope seat from the front face along the length of the groove. A base connects to ends of the arms of the shackle closing the aperture. The base defines a channel formed as an open-ended groove through the base such that in use the channel permits a rope to extend from either one of adjacent sides of the base to position the thimble apparatus between first and second positions.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. nonprovisionalapplication Ser. No. 15/338,174 filed on 28 Oct. 2016, which claimspriority to U.S. provisional application No. 62/248,055 filed on 29 Oct.2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to rigging and morespecifically to splice-on shackle or clevis mount thimbles.

BACKGROUND

Synthetic rope and wire rope assemblies are used in various riggingapplications including winching and hoisting. Clevis mount thimbles maybe used in wire rope and synthetic rope assemblies to form and reinforcean eye shape or loop at an end of a cable or rope. The eye shape or loopat the end of the rope allows the user to attach various pieces ofhardware to the end of the thimble. Examples of hardware pieces includehooks, shackles, and other rigging interface hardware. Synthetic ropesmay have high tensile strength but are vulnerable to abrasion andultra-violate (UV) sunlight damage. Current rope thimbles are capable ofbeing crushed, which may result in the eye shape or loop distorting andreducing its opening size. Current solid thimble designs may not protectthe synthetic rope from abrasions or UV damage due to the open design ofthimbles. Also, current solid thimble designs do not provide a fairleadengagement surface to positively stop both the cable and solid thimblefrom being pulled through the winch fairlead opening, which can damagethe fairlead opening. A need may exist for a solid thimble whichprotects the rope from environmental damage and distortion of the eyeshape, as well as protect the fairlead opening from damage whenoperating the winch.

The information included in this Background section of thespecification, including any references cited herein and any descriptionor discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes onlyand is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of theinvention is to be bound.

SUMMARY

One illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure may include athimble apparatus for use with a rope. The thimble may have a thimbleeye formed as a generally U-shaped shackle defining a center aperturetherein with arms on opposing sides of the aperture. The thimble eye mayhave an outer surface, a front face, and a rear face. A groove may beformed within the front face of the shackle generally in the shape of aU and having a width. A rope seat may be formed within the shacklebeneath the groove proximal to the rear face and having a diameterlarger than the width of the groove. The groove may form a passage tothe rope seat from the front face along the length of the groove. A basemay be connected to ends of the arms of the shackle closing theaperture. The base may further define a channel. The channel may beformed as an open-ended groove through the base. In use, the channel maypermit the rope to extend from either one of adjacent sides of the baseto position the apparatus between first and second positions.

In another illustrative embodiment, a thimble apparatus for reinforcinga spliced eye in a rope is disclosed. The thimble apparatus has athimble eye formed as a generally U-shaped shackle defining a centeraperture therein with arms on opposing sides of the center aperture. Thethimble eye may further have an outer surface, a front face, and a rearface. The thimble eye may further define a groove formed within thefront face of the shackle generally in the shape of a U and having awidth. The thimble eye may also define a rope seat formed within theshackle beneath the groove proximal to the rear face. The diameter ofthe rope seat may be larger than the width of the groove. The grooveforms a passage to the rope seat from the front face along the length ofthe groove. A base connects to ends of the arms of the shackle to closethe center aperture. The base further defines a channel. The channel maybe formed through the base that connects with first and second ends ofthe rope seat. A bumper may be coupled with an engagement surface of thebase. The engagement surface of the base may be aligned generallyparallel to the front face of the thimble.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. A moreextensive presentation of features, details, utilities, and advantagesof the present invention as defined in the claims is provided in thefollowing written description of various embodiments of the inventionand illustrated in the accompanying drawings

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a thimble assembly.

FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a thimble.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the thimble of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation view of the thimble of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an isometric cross-sectional right side view of the thimblealong line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the thimble along line 7-7 ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the thimble along line 8-8 of FIG.3.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a bumper.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the bumper along line 10-10 ofFIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a thimble assembly.

FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a rear elevation view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a left elevation view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 is a right elevation view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 17 is a bottom plan view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11.

FIG. 18 is an isometric view of an additional thimble assembly.

FIG. 19 is another isometric view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is an isometric exploded view of the thimble assembly of FIG.18.

FIG. 21 is an isometric cross-sectional view of the thimble along line21-21 of FIG. 19.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the thimble along line 22-22 ofFIG. 19.

FIG. 23 is another cross-sectional view of the thimble along line 23-23of FIG. 19.

FIG. 24 is an isometric view of an additional bumper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a thimble assembly described herein may include apartially open thimble and a bumper coupled to a rope. In some examples,the thimble may have a thimble eye and a base, with a rope seat formedthrough both the thimble eye and the base. The rope seat may connect afirst feed channel and a second feed channel. In some examples, the ropeseat may be configured to accept a first end of rope routed through thethimble that is first fed into the first feed channel and routed throughthe rope seat and out of the thimble through the second feed channel.After being routed through the thimble, the first end of the rope may bespliced with an intermediate section to form a loop. The configurationof the rope seat may protect the rope installed within the thimble fromabrasion and UV radiation damage.

In some examples, the bumper may be coupled to the base of the thimble.The bumper may be configured to prevent the thimble from directlycontacting a fairlead, thereby potentially protecting the fairlead fromdamage.

Thimble Assembly

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a thimble assembly 100 with a rope 106.FIG. 1 shows the thimble assembly 100 with a thimble 102, a bumper 104,and a rope 106. The thimble 102 may form a thimble eye 110 as a U-shapedshackle with arms that define a hardware mount aperture 112therethrough. In some embodiments, the thimble 102 may be made as amachined or cast metal piece, for example, steel, aluminum, titanium, orother metal of sufficient tensile strength. In some examples, the rope106 has a rope eye 108 seated within the thimble eye 110 that generallysurrounds the hardware mount aperture 112. In the example of FIG. 1, therope 106 is coupled to the thimble 102 and then spliced together to formthe rope eye 108.

FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded view of the assembly of FIG. 1. FIG. 2shows the thimble 102 with a thimble eye 110 extending normally from oneside of a disk-shaped base 114. The base 114 may define a planarengagement surface 116 opposite the thimble eye 110. The bumper 104defines a rope aperture 118 within an engagement surface 120. The rope106 has a rope eye 108 that may be formed by splicing an end of the rope106 within an intermediate length of rope 106 after the end of the rope106 is threaded through the thimble 102.

FIGS. 3-8 show various views of the thimble 102. FIG. 3 is an isometricview of the thimble 102 depicting a thimble eye 110 in the form of a ina looped or U-shaped shackle with generally parallel arms to define ahardware mount aperture 112 between the shackle arms of the thimble eye110 and the base 114. In some examples, the thimble eye 110 may have afront face 136 with a groove 130 formed within it and an opposite rearface 138. A first access aperture 132 may be formed in the front face136 adjacent to a first end of the groove 130 and a second accessaperture 134 may be formed in the front face 136 adjacent to a secondend of the groove 130. The groove 130 may connect the first accessaperture 132 with the second access aperture 134. The first accessaperture 132, the second access aperture 134, and the groove 130 mayeach may have a depth that extends into the thimble eye 110 towards therear face 138 of the thimble eye 110. FIG. 5 is a rear view of thethimble of FIG. 3 which shows the rear face 138 of the thimble eye 110.In some examples, the rear face 138 may differ from the front face 136in that the rear face 138 is smooth and does not have the first accessaperture 132, the second access aperture 134, or the groove 130.

In some examples, the hardware mount aperture 112 may be formed as athrough channel that extends from the front face 136 to the rear face138 of the thimble eye. The hardware mount aperture 112 may be shaped asa tear drop, circle, oval, rectangle, or oblong shape within the thimbleeye 110.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the thimble 102 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a rearview of the thimble of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is an isometric, cross-sectional,right side view of the thimble 102 along line 6-6 of FIG. 3. As shown inFIGS. 4-6, in some examples, a curved outer surface 156 may extendbetween the front face 136 and the rear face 138 of the thimble 102,which together form the U-shape of the thimble eye 110. The outersurface 156 may be a convexly curved surface that extends towards thebase 114. The outer surface 156 may have dimple features 158 formedtherein that may be spaced along a length of the outer surface 156. Insome examples, the dimple features 158 may be circular in shape. Eachdimple feature 158 may be substantially normal to the front face 136. Insome examples, the dimple features 158 may be flat and in some examples,the features 158 may be concavely curved inwards towards the hardwaremount aperture 112. The dimple features 158 may provide surfaces forgreater ease of a user in firmly grasping and holding the thimble 102.

As shown in FIG. 4, an interior surface 160, the hardware mount surface146, the groove 130, and the outer surface 156 of the thimble eye 110may form the shape of the hardware mount aperture 112. In some examples,the interior surface 160 is adjacent to the hardware mount aperture 112.

As shown in FIG. 4, in some examples, the thimble eye 110 extends fromopposing edges of the base 114. The base 114 may have a hardware mountsurface 146 opposite the engagement surface 116 from which the thimbleeye 110 extends. A chamfered surface 148 may be formed on the hardwaremount surface 146 adjacent to a cylindrical perimeter edge 144 of thebase 114. A chamfered surface 155 may be formed adjacent to theperimeter edge 144 to transition to the engagement surface 116. Theengagement surface 116 may be formed on an opposite side of the hardwaremount surface 146.

As shown in FIG. 3, the engagement surface 116 may be generally planarand generally normal to a plane traveling through the front face 136 ofthe thimble eye 110. A plurality of neck openings 142 may be formed inthe engagement surface 116 of the base 114. In some examples, each neckopening 142 may connect a socket 140 with the engagement surface 116. Asshown in FIG. 6, in some examples, the neck openings 142 transition tothe sockets 140 that extend towards the thimble eye 110. In someexamples, the sockets 140 may be cylindrically shaped with a diameter143 located proximal to the thimble eye 110 and are of a larger diameterthan the diameter 141 of the neck openings 142, which may be circular orannular. In some examples, the neck openings 142 and sockets 140 may beshaped as rectangles, ovals, triangles, or other oblong shapes.

FIG. 6 shows the thimble eye 110 and base 114 while exposing a rope seat162 connected to the groove 130 formed in the front face 136. In someexamples, the rope seat may be a tunnel or a channel within the thimbleeye 110. In some examples, the rope seat 162 follows the U-shaped pathof the groove 130 such that the rope seat 162 is adjacent the groove 130between the first access aperture 132 and the second access aperture134. The rope seat 162 may have a diameter 166 and the groove 130 mayhave a width 164 and a depth 168. In some examples, the diameter 166 ofthe rope seat is greater than the width of the groove 130. The diameter166 of the rope seat 162 may be sufficient to receive rope diameters inthe range of 0.25 in. to 6 in. The diameter may be chosen to be slightlylarger than the diameter of the rope to be received within the rope seat162. In illustrative implementations, the width 164 of the groove 130may be in the general range of 2 to 3 times narrower than the diameterof the rope seat 162. The rope seat 162 may be centered within thethimble eye 110, i.e., the rope seat 162 may be bisected by a planecentered between the front face 136 and the rear face 138. The thicknessof the thimble eye 110 may be chosen based upon the diameter of the ropeseat in order to provide a depth 168 of the groove 130 may be such thatthe corresponding thickness of the front face 136 above the rope seat162 on each side of the groove 130 is sufficiently strong to resistrated tension and load forces for the size of the thimble assembly 100.

As shown in FIG. 3, a first feed channel 150 and a second feed channel152 may be formed in the engagement surface 116. Each feed channel 150,152 may have a chamfered surface 154 around its entry perimeter. FIG. 7is a cross-sectional, front view of the thimble of FIG. 3 along line7-7. FIG. 7 shows the continuous rope seat 162 formed within the thimble102 that connects the first feed channel 150 and the second feed channel152.

In some examples, the first feed channel 150 has a diameter 151 and thesecond feed channel 152 has a diameter 153. In some examples, thediameters 151, 153 of the first and second feed channel 150, 152 aresimilar. In some examples, the diameters 151, 153 of the first andsecond feed channel 150, 152 are dissimilar with diameter 151 beinglarger than or smaller than 153. In some examples, the diameter 151 issimilar to the diameter 166 of the rope seat 162. As shown in FIG. 7, insome examples, the cross-sectional length of the rope seat 162 isU-shaped. In some examples, the cross-sectional length of the rope seat162 is shaped similar to a portion of the rope eye 108 shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the thimble 102 along line 8-8 ofFIG. 3. FIG. 8 shows the first access aperture 132 and the second accessaperture 134 connected to both the groove 130 and the rope seat 162. Insome examples, the access apertures 132, 134 are formed as blind boreholes through the front face 136 towards the rear face 138. In someexamples, the first and second access apertures 132, 134 are circular.In some examples, the first and second access apertures 132, 134 mayhave similar or equivalent diameters. In some examples, the diameter ofthe first and second access apertures 132, 134 may be similar orequivalent to the diameter of the rope seat 162. In some examples, theaccess apertures 132, 134 may have a depth 170 that is smaller than thedistance of the depth 168 of the groove 130 and half the diameter 166 ofthe rope seat 162.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show the bumper 104. The bumper 104 may be a generallydisk-shaped component that fits on the engagement surface 116 of thethimble 102. The bumper 104 may be formed from an elastomeric materialsuch as rubber, and formation processes may include molding, injectionmolding, and the like.

The bumper 104 may have an engagement surface 120, a perimeter wall 182,and a mating face 182. FIG. 9 shows the bumper 104 with a perimeter wall182. In some examples, the mating face 188 constitutes an opposing sideof the engagement surface 120. The mating face 188 may be parallel to aplane defining an edge 18686 of the perimeter wall 182. FIG. 10 is across-sectional side view of the bumper 104 along line 10-10 of FIG. 9.FIG. 10 shows the bumper 104 with the edge 186 adjacent the perimeterwall 182, with the perimeter wall 182 extending normally from and aboutthe perimeter of the engagement surface 120. In some examples, themating face 188 is parallel with the engagement surface 120.

In some examples, the bumper 104 may have a rope aperture 118 formedbetween the mating face 188 and the first face 184, as shown in FIG. 10.In some examples, the rope aperture 118 may be shaped as an oval or as arectangle with two rounded ends. In some examples, the perimeter wall182 may be cylindrically shaped and an outer surface that is textured.The rope aperture 118 may be sized and configured to align with thefirst and second access apertures 132, 134 in the base.

A plurality of posts 180 may extend normally from the mating face 188parallel with perimeter wall 182. In some examples, the number of posts108 is the same as the number of neck openings 142 in the engagementsurface 116 of the base 114 of the thimble 102. In some examples, theposts 180 are generally cylindrically shaped. In some examples, eachpost 180 may have a first section 192, a second section 194, a thirdsection 196, and a fourth section 198. The second section 194 may be arib 190 that has a diameter larger than the diameters of the firstsection 192 and the third section 196. In some examples, the fourthsection 198 may taper to a smaller diameter than that of the thirdsection 196. The first section 192 may have a diameter that is similarto the diameter of the neck opening 142 in the base 114 of the thimble102. In some examples, the rib 190 may have a diameter similar to thesecond diameter 143 of the socket 140.

Additional Thimble Assembly

FIGS. 18-24 illustrate an additional thimble assembly 500 according tothe present disclosure. Except as otherwise noted below, the thimbleassembly 500 is similar to the thimble assembly 100 described above. Assuch, in certain instances, like features may not be discussed when theywould be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of thedescription above and in view of FIGS. 18-24. For ease of reference,like structures are represented with appropriately incremented referencenumbers.

FIG. 18 is an isometric view of the thimble assembly 500. FIG. 19 isanother isometric view of the thimble assembly 500. FIG. 20 is anexploded view of the thimble assembly 500. FIGS. 18-20 show the thimbleassembly 500 with a thimble 502, a bumper 504, and a rope 506. Thethimble 502 may form a thimble eye 510 defining a hardware mountaperture 512 therethrough. The thimble eye 510 may extend from a base514. Unlike base 114, the base 514 may extend substantially parallel tothe thimble eye 510. For example, the base 514 may define a planeextending substantially parallel to a plane defined by the thimble eye510, as explained more fully below. The base 514 may define a planarengagement surface 516. As shown, a rope aperture 518 may be definedwithin the engagement surface 516 for at least partial receipt of therope 506 therein, as explained below. Depending on the particularapplication, the rope aperture 518 may take the form of a blind hole ormay extend through the base 514.

The thimble 502 may be configured similarly to the thimble 102 describedabove. For example, and without limitation, the thimble eye 510 may bein the form of a looped or U-shaped shackle extending from the base 514(such as from opposing sides of the base 514) with generally parallelarms to define the hardware mount aperture 512 between the shackle armsof the thimble eye 510 and the base 514. In some examples, the thimbleeye 510 may include a front face 536 with a groove 530 formed therein,and an opposite rear face 538. A first access aperture 532 may be formedin the front face 536 adjacent to a first end of the groove 530, and asecond access aperture 534 may be formed in the front face 536 adjacentto a second end of the groove 530. The groove 530 may connect the firstaccess aperture 532 with the second access aperture 534. The firstaccess aperture 532, the second access aperture 534, and the groove 530may each may have a depth that extends into the thimble eye 510 towardsthe rear face 538 of the thimble eye 510.

The base 514 may be similarly configured. For example, the base 514 mayinclude a front face 600 with the rope aperture 518 formed therein, andan opposite rear face 602. The rope aperture 518 may include a depththat extends into the base 514 towards the rear face 602 of the base514, such as partially into the base 514 or completely through the base514 towards the rear face 602. In some embodiments, the rope aperture518 may be in communication with the groove 530 defined in the thimbleeye 510 to couple the rope 506 to the thimble 502 via the rope aperture518. In some examples, the rear face 602 may differ from the front face600 in that the rear face 602 is smooth and does not include the ropeaperture 518.

In some embodiments, the base 514 may be arranged to allow for inlinearrangement of the thimble 502 with the rope 506 during use. Forexample, the base 514 may include a channel 610 defined from a bottomsurface 612 of the base 514 towards the thimble eye 510. As shown, thechannel 610 may be open at the bottom surface 612 as well as at theengagement surface 516 of the base 514 such that the rope aperture 518may be considered to be defined within adjacent surfaces or sides of thebase 514 (such as within the engagement surface 516 and the adjacentbottom surface 612 of the base 514). In such embodiments, the rope 506may be free to move within the rope aperture 518 to extend at an anglefrom either the engagement surface 516 or from the bottom surface 612 ofthe base 514.

For example, during storage of the thimble 502 against a fairlead of awinch system, the rope 506 may extend from the channel 610 at asubstantially orthogonal angle to the engagement surface 516 to positionthe engagement surface 516 (or the bumper 504 positioned against theengagement surface 516) against the fairlead (see FIG. 18). In use, theangular arrangement between the thimble 502 and the rope 506 may changesuch that the rope 506 extends from the channel 610 at a substantiallyorthogonal angle to the bottom surface 612 (or alternatively at asubstantially parallel angle to the engagement surface 516), as shown inFIG. 19. In this manner, the thimble assembly 500 may be positioned inan operational position to effectuate winching or hoisting via thethimble 502 and rope 506. The examples described above are non-limiting,and the thimble 502 and the rope 506 may be positioned in substantiallyany relative angular arrangement.

As shown in FIG. 20, the engagement surface 516 may be generally planarand generally parallel to a plane traveling through the front face 536of the thimble eye 510. In such embodiments, the thimble 502 may projecta relatively small distance away from the fairlead once the engagementsurface 516 is positioned against the fairlead. For example, because thethimble eye 510 extends generally parallel to the base 514, the thimble502 may project away from the fairlead only as far as the thickness ofthe thimble 502 itself. In this manner, the thimble 502 may effectuatean increased approach angle compared to the thimble 102 described above,among others. Like the thimble 102 described above, a plurality of neckopenings 542 may be formed in the engagement surface 516 of the base514. The neck openings 542 may be configured similarly to the neckopenings 142 described above. For instance, and without limitation, eachneck opening 542 may connect a socket 540 (see FIG. 23) with theengagement surface 516 to couple one or more bumpers 504 to the base514, as explained below.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, like the thimble 102 described above, thethimble 502 may include a rope seat 562 connected to the groove 530formed in the front face 536 of the thimble 502. The rope seat 562 maybe a tunnel or a channel within the thimble eye 510. In some examples,the rope seat 562 follows the U-shaped path of the groove 530 such thatthe rope seat 562 is adjacent the groove 530 between the first accessaperture 532 and the second access aperture 534. As described herein,the rope seat 562 may extend substantially parallel to the base 514. Inall other aspects, the rope seat 562 may be configured similarly to therope seat 162 described above.

Similar to the thimble 102 described above, the thimble 502 may includefirst and second feed channels 550, 552 formed therein. Similar to thedescription above, the rope seat 562 formed within the thimble 502 mayconnect the first feed channel 550 and the second feed channel 552. Asshown in FIG. 21, the first and second feed channels 550, 552 may beformed within the channel 610 defined in the base 514. For example, thechannel 610 may terminate at the first and second feed channels 550, 552defined at the transition between the base 514 and the thimble eye 510of the thimble 502. In this manner, the rope 506 may extend through thechannel 610 and through the first and second feed channels 550, 552. Inall other aspects, the first and second feed channels 550, 552 may beconfigured similarly to the first and second feed channels 150, 152described above.

FIGS. 20 and 24 show the bumper 504. The bumper 504 may be configuredsimilarly to the bumper 104 described above. For example, the bumper 504may be arranged to fit on the engagement surface 516 of the thimble 502.In addition, the bumper 504 may include an engagement surface 520, anopposing mating face 588 arranged to engage the engagement surface 516of the thimble 502, and a plurality of posts 580 extending normally fromthe mating face 588 to couple the bumper 504 to the thimble 502. Eachpost 580 may be arranged to releasably fit within the neck openings 542of the base 514. For example, each post 580 may include structure (e.g.,a rib 590) arranged to resiliently engage corresponding structure of thebase 514 (e.g., a socket 540 defined within each neck opening 542),similar to the description above. Though FIGS. 18 and 20 show twobumpers 504 connected to the engagement surface 516 on opposite sides ofthe rope aperture 518, in some embodiments, the bumper 504 may spanacross the rope aperture 518. Such a configuration may be beneficialshould the rope aperture 518 extend through the base 514 (such as fromthe front face 600 to the rear face 602 of the base 514) and protectionof the rope 506 within the rope aperture 518 is desired from at leastone side of the thimble 502 (e.g., from the rear face 602).

Manufacturing

Though the description that follows is applicable to both the thimbleassembly 100 and the thimble assembly 500, for ease of reference, thefollowing description will reference the thimble assembly 100 only,unless otherwise noted. The thimble assembly 500 may be configured andarranged similar to the thimble assembly 100 in substantially allaspects. To create the thimble 102, a variety of manufacturing formingprocesses may be used including casting, machining, forging, extrusion,or similar processes. Materials used to form the thimble 102 includealuminum, steel, or titanium. In some examples, a block of selectedmaterial may be machined by a drill press or CNC machine. A planar facemay be machined into the block of material, forming the engagementsurface 116 of the base 114. Cylindrical cutting bits may then be usedto form the first feed channel 150, the second feed channel 152, thechamfered surface 154 and to form a portion of the rope seat 162 that islocated within the base 114.

In some examples, cutting bits may then be used to form the neckopenings 142 and drill out the depth of the socket 140. After theformation of the neck openings 142 and a portion of the socket 140, anundercut cutter may then be used to remove additional material and formthe diameter 143 of the socket 140.

The block of material may then be coupled to a lathe wherein the overallshape of the thimble eye 110 may be machined, including the perimeteredge 144 and chamfered surfaces 148, 155 of the base 114. The block ofmaterial may then be returned to the mill or CNC machine to removematerial to create the front face 136, the rear face 138, the hardwaremount surface 146, the dimple features 158, and the hardware mountaperture 112.

In some examples, the groove 130 may be machined into the front face 136to a depth smaller than the combined distance of the desired the depth168 of the groove and desired diameter 166 of the rope seat 162. It mayrequire several passes of the cutting bit to remove the material toreach the desired depth. In some examples, the first access aperture 132and second access aperture 134 may be machined into the front face 136to intersect with each end of the U-shaped groove 130. The initial depthof the first and second access apertures 132, 134 may be the desiredfinal depth 170. In some examples, the formation of the first and secondaccess apertures 132, 134 may be congruent with the diameter 166 of therope seat 162 and may extend to the depth of the rope seat 162.

In some examples, the rope seat 162 within the thimble eye 110 may thenbe formed. A specialty fluted tool with a shape similar to that of alollipop (i.e., a shaft narrower than the width 164 of the groove 130and a bulbous cutting portion of the diameters 151, 153 of the first andsecond access apertures 132, 134) may be used to form the rope seat 162within the thimble eye 110.

To begin the formation of the rope seat 162, the specialty tool may beinserted into the first access aperture 132, and the tool may beginrotating and moved vertically downward to the desired location of therope seat 162. The tool may then be locked in a vertical position andmoved laterally along the shape of the groove 130. The shape of the toolallows the rope seat 162 to be formed without widening the width 164 ofthe groove 130. The shaft of the specialty tool above the flute travelsthrough the groove 130, while the flute removes material to form therope seat 162.

As the specialty tool rotates and travels around the thimble eye 110,chips, shavings, and coolant are pushed out through the already formedgroove 130 towards and out of the second access aperture 134 and or thesecond feed channel 160. The movement of the discarded material andcoolant may help ensure that the rope seat 162 is smooth and free ofburrs and blemishes that might damage the rope 106 when installed withinthe thimble 102 and the rope eye 108 later during use. In some examples,the first and second feed channels, 150, 152 and the portion of the ropeseat 162 in the base 114 may be formed after the portion of the ropeseat 162 is formed in the thimble eye 110. When the specialty toolreaches the second access aperture 134, the tool can be removed and theformation of the rope seat 162 within the thimble 102 is complete.

Assembly

In some examples, the bumper 104 may be coupled to the base 114 of thethimble 102 by manipulating the bumper 104 so that each post 180 alignswith a socket 140. In some embodiments, the bumper 104 may bemanipulated such that the first feed channel 150 and second feed channel152 are accessible through the rope aperture 118. The bumper 104 maythen be pushed onto the base 114 so that the engagement surface 116 ofthe thimble 102 contacts the mating face 188 of the bumper 104. The ribs190 on each post 180 may be compressed to fit through the neck openings142 and be pushed towards the sockets 140 of the base 114. The ribs 190may then expand once seated within the socket 140 in the portion havingthe diameter 143. The diameter of the ribs 190 may be larger than thatof the diameter 141 of the neck openings 142 to help prevent theaccidental removal of the bumper 104 from the thimble 102 during use.

A rope 106, such as a synthetic rope, may be fed through the ropeaperture 188, such as through the channel 610 in some embodiments. Insome examples, a first end of the rope 106 may then be fed into thefirst feed channel 150, and manipulated so that the rope 106 is fedthrough the rope seat 162 and back out of the thimble 102 through thesecond feed channel 152. In some examples, the rope 106 may first be fedthrough the second feed channel 152, through the rope seat 162 and backout through the first feed channel 150. Once the rope 106 has beeninstalled within the thimble 102, it may be spliced with itself to formthe rope eye 108. The chamfered surface 154 of each of the first andsecond feed channels 150, 152 may help prevent wear damage to the rope106 as it enters and exits the thimble 102 and during use.

In some examples, a cap may be fitted into the groove 130 to preventforeign materials and light from entering the thimble 102, therebyprotecting the groove 130 and the rope eye 108 and the rope seat 162from potential damage.

Use

In some examples, a first end of a rope 106 is coupled to a winch systemand is fed through an opening in a fairlead of the winch system. In someexamples, the winch system in mounted to a first movable object, such asa vehicle. A second end of the rope 106 may be connected to a thimbleassembly 100. The thimble assembly 100 may be coupled to a secondobject, such as another vehicle, trailer, tree, etc. through thehardware mount aperture 112. The thimble assembly 100 may be used tocouple the second object and the winch mounted on the first object inorder to move the second object towards the first object, or to move thefirst object towards the second object. The thimble assembly 100 mayalso be used to couple the first object and the second object at a fixeddistance.

When in use, the rope 106 may contact the fairlead opening. Any nicks,burrs, or damage to the fairlead opening might cause abrasions to therope 106 when the rope 106 is being moved thorough the fairlead openingduring the winching process. These abrasions may weaken the overalltensile strength of the rope 106, which may limit the use of a rope 106in winching or towing applications or lead to a premature failure of therope 106. The use of a thimble assembly 100 may help prevent damage tothe rope 106. To position the thimble assembly 100 in a stored position,such as when the winch system is not being used, the winch system may beoperated to remove slack in the rope 106 such that the thimble assembly100 is positioned adjacent the fairlead opening. In these examples, theengagement surface 120 of the bumper 104 would be adjacent to andcontact the fairlead. The bumper 104 may help protect the fairleadopening from damage that might result from the contact of the thimble102 with the fairlead, thus preventing unnecessary damage to the rope.This may be a desirable attribute since, in some examples, the firstobject in which the winch system is installed on may be a vehicle andoperated or moved without concern that the thimble assembly 100 maybounce, oscillate, bang, vibrate, or undesirably move with respect tothe fairlead. Therefore, when the thimble assembly 100 is not in use,the thimble assembly 100 may be easily and safely stored adjacent thefairlead opening without subjecting the surface defining the fairleadopening to unnecessary damage. This protects both the fairlead and therope 106.

In some examples, the bumper 104 is desirable, but not necessary and maynot be used in all embodiments.

In some examples, the shape and size of the thimble 102, or the shapeand size of the assembled thimble 102 and bumper 104 may prevent therope eye 108 from slipping through the fairlead opening towards thewinch or other system used to move the rope 106. In these examples, theprevention of a portion of the thimble assembly 100 from slippingthrough the fairlead opening further protects the fairlead opening fromdamage through nicks, burs, and dents, and may protect the rope 106 fromabrasions caused by rubbing against the damaged fairlead opening,thereby helping maintain the tensile strength and capacity of the rope106.

In some examples, the shape and size of the thimble 102 protects asubstantial portion of the rope eye 108 installed within the thimble 102from exposure to environmental damage. In some examples, a majority ofthe rope eye 108 installed within the thimble 102 is protected fromexposure to ultraviolet radiation or abrasive materials in theenvironment. In some examples, the portion of the rope eye 108 that isunprotected is that which is exposed through the groove 130. Theadditional protection afforded to the rope eye 108 based upon thecoverage of the majority of the rope eye 108 by the assembly 100 mayhelp the increase the usage life of the rope 106, as a smaller portionof rope may be exposed to the damaging environment through light orabrasives, which may decrease the strength and/or usage life of the rope106.

In some examples, a cap or gasket may be installed to fit the groove 130to further protect against foreign debris from entering the groove 130and to block UV radiation from the sun. If foreign debris enters thegroove, it may run or abrade against the groove, the rope seat, or therope eye 108. The interaction of the foreign debris with thesecomponents may cause the eventual damage to the rope eye 108, which mayweaken the overall strength. In addition, the portion of the rope eye108 exposed to sunlight through the groove 130 may also weaken the ropeeye 108. The cap or gasket installed to fit the groove 130 may protectthe rope eye 108 from this type of damage.

In some examples, the shape of the thimble 102 also protects the ropeeye 108 from being crushed through multiple uses. This may help extendthe life of the rope 106 when used with the assembly 100.

In some examples, the thimble assembly 100 may protect the rope 106 fromenvironmental damage and distortion of the shape of the rope eye 108shape, as well as protect the fairlead opening from damage whenoperating the winch to which the rope 106 and the thimble assembly 100are coupled. For example, in use, the bumper 104 may engage thefairlead. In embodiments where the bumper 104 is formed from anelastomeric material (such as rubber), the bumper 104 may provide a softengagement between the thimble 102 and the fairlead. Such aconfiguration may be beneficial to limit damage to the fairlead, such asthe fairlead opening or fairlead rollers, if equipped, when the thimble102 contacts the fairlead. For example, without use of the bumper 102,the engagement between the thimble 102 and the fairlead may nick thefairlead, which may subsequently damage (e.g., cut) the rope 106 shouldthe rope 106 contact the nick. Additionally or alternatively, theconfiguration (e.g., shape) of the thimble 102 may protect the rope 106from environmental damage. For instance, because the rope aperture maynot extend completely through the base (see rope aperture 508 in base514 of FIG. 18, for instance), the rear face 602 of the base 514 mayoverlie the rope 506 when the thimble 502 is positioned for storageagainst the fairlead, thereby limiting exposure of the rope 506 to theelements (e.g., UV radiation from the sun, road debris, damagingchemicals or substances, etc.).

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a thimble assembly. FIG. 12 is a frontelevation view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a rearelevation view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a leftelevation view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11. FIG. 15 is a rightelevation view of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11. FIG. 16 is a top planview of the thimble assembly of FIG. 11. FIG. 17 is a bottom plan viewof the thimble assembly of FIG. 11.

It should be noted that any of the features in the various examples andembodiments provided herein may be interchangeable and/or replaceablewith any other example or embodiment. As such, the discussion of anycomponent or element with respect to a particular example or embodimentis meant as illustrative only.

It should be noted that although the various examples discussed hereinhave been discussed with respect to clevis devices, the devices andtechniques may be applied in a variety of applications, such as, but notlimited to, towing, moving, winching, lifting, pulling, dragging,adjusting, or holding various items.

All directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward, downward, left,right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical,horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used foridentification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of theexamples of the invention, and do not create limitations, particularlyas to the position, orientation, or use of the invention unlessspecifically set forth in the claims. Joinder references (e.g.,attached, coupled, connected, joined and the like) are to be construedbroadly and may include intermediate members between the connection ofelements and relative movement between elements. As such, joinderreferences do not necessarily infer that two elements are directlyconnected and in fixed relation to each other.

In some instances, components are described by reference to “ends”having a particular characteristic and/or being connected with anotherpart. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that theembodiments are not limited to components which terminate immediatelybeyond their point of connection with other parts. Thus the term “end”should be broadly interpreted, in a manner that includes areas adjacentrearward, forward of or otherwise near the terminus of a particularelement, link, component, part, member or the like.

In methodologies directly or indirectly set forth herein, various stepsand operations are described in one possible order of operation butthose skilled in the art will recognize the steps and operation may berearranged, replaced or eliminated without necessarily departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting.Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from thebroad understanding of the embodiments as defined in the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A thimble apparatus for use with a rope, theapparatus comprising a thimble eye formed as a generally U-shapedshackle defining a center aperture therein with arms on opposing sidesof the center aperture, and having an outer surface, a front face, and arear face, and further defining a groove formed within the front face ofthe shackle generally in a shape of a U and having a width; and a ropeseat formed within the shackle beneath the groove proximal to the rearface and having a diameter larger than the width of the groove, whereinthe groove forms a passage to the rope seat from the front face along anentire length of the groove; and a base connected to ends of the arms ofthe shackle closing the center aperture and further defining a channelformed as an open-ended groove through the base, wherein in use thechannel permits the rope to extend from either one of adjacent sides ofthe base to position the thimble apparatus between first and secondpositions.
 2. The thimble apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstpositon is a storage position wherein the rope extends substantiallynormal to the front face; and the second position is a use positionwherein the rope extends substantially parallel to the front face. 3.The thimble apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first feedchannel formed as a first bore at an end of the channel that connectswith a first end of the rope seat; and a second feed channel formed as asecond bore at the end of the channel that connects with a second end ofthe rope seat.
 4. The thimble apparatus of claim 3, wherein a diameterof each of the first and second feed channels is congruent with thediameter of the rope seat.
 5. The thimble apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe base further comprises a planar engagement surface aligned generallyparallel to the front face.
 6. The thimble apparatus of claim 5 furthercomprising a bumper configured to mate with and protect the engagementsurface of the base.
 7. The thimble apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a first access aperture formed as a blind hole in the frontface of the shackle at a first end of the groove; and a second accessaperture formed as a blind hole in the front face of the shackle at asecond end of the groove.
 8. The thimble apparatus of claim 7, wherein adiameter of each of the first and second access apertures is larger thanthe width of the groove.
 9. The thimble apparatus of claim 7, wherein adiameter of each of the first and second access apertures is congruentwith the diameter of the rope seat.
 10. A thimble apparatus forreinforcing a spliced eye in a rope, the thimble apparatus comprising athimble including a thimble eye formed as a generally U-shaped shackledefining a center aperture therein with arms on opposing sides of thecenter aperture, and having an outer surface, a front face, and a rearface, and further defining a groove formed within the front face of theshackle generally in a shape of a U and having a width; and a rope seatformed within the shackle beneath the groove proximal to the rear faceand having a diameter larger than the width of the groove, wherein thegroove forms a passage to the rope seat from the front face along anentire length of the groove; a base connected to ends of the arms of theshackle closing the center aperture and further defining a channelformed through the base that connects with first and second ends of therope seat; and a bumper coupled with an engagement surface of the base;wherein the engagement surface of the base is aligned generally parallelto the front face of the thimble.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, whereinthe channel is formed as an open-ended groove such that in use, thechannel permits a rope coupled to the thimble apparatus to extend fromeither one of adjacent sides of the base to position the thimbleapparatus between first and second positions.
 12. The apparatus of claim11, wherein the first positon is a storage position wherein the ropeextends substantially normal to the front face; and the second positionis a use position wherein the rope extends substantially parallel to thefront face.